Swelling under right armpit

[b5j5]

I have had swelling and pain under my right arm for five months now and my doctor can not seem to tell me what it is.  Cancer, swollen lymph nodes, infection and boils have all been ruled out.  Pain medications do not help much.  I have had a few MRI's and a few Contrast CT Scans which also has not identified the problem.  My doctor referred me to another doctor in her department who thought it was an infection, gave me some meds.  When this doctor realized that it was not an infection, she referred me back to my primary physician.

Does anyone know what this can be causing this???

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
How are you? Do you still experience the pain in your arm? Were you able to go for physical therapy? This may indeed be related to the rotator cuff tear repair in your medical history and may resolve with proper management. Take care and do keep us posted.

[b5j5]

Dr. Santos-

The doctor that I saw on yesterday seems to think that the swelling and pain could be from either Bulging annulus fibrsus at C5-6, c6-7 and T4-5 levels or that it may be some scar tissue from a rotator cuff tear repair that I had in 1995.  

She has me scheduled for physical therapy and suggested that if that did not work, I could get some type of injection for the pain.

I will follow-up with my primary physician by e-mail later today.

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
How was your consult with your doctor? Diagnosis of lipoma is by physical examination of the lump. If there's any doubt, your doctor may do other tests, such as removal of a tissue sample or biopsy for examination in a laboratory. Take care and do keep us posted.

[b5j5]

Dr. Santos-

A lipoma is what I believe it is.  I had one removed from my forehead a few years ago.  I told my doctor this (she referred me to the specialist that removed the lipoma), but she said that it did not show up in a CT Scan that I had.  I will be seeing another doctor tomorrow.  Thank you for your comment.

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
How are you? Your doctors have pretty much exhausted the possibilities: cancer, swollen lymph nodes, infection and boils.  If this is just a lipoma, you can have it removed by your doctor. However, direct clinical examination is needed for the diagnosis. Take care and do keep us posted.